Wednesday, 4 April 2018

Equestrian statue of Marshal Mannerheim

Baron Carl Gustav Emil Mannerheim (1867-1951) was the Marshal of
Finland, Protector (1918-19) and President of the Republic (1944-46).
Mannerheim's achievements as a soldier and a statesman have made him one
of the most influental figures of the 20th century in Finnish history.
The idea of a statue of Mannerheim riding his horse was proposed already
in the 1930s but the first attempts to realize the proposal never
succeeded. The idea resurfaced after Mannerheim's death, and in 1952 a
competition was arranged to find a sculptor. The first stage of the
competition was completed in 1954. Following two further stages, the
memorial statue was commissioned from Aimo Tukiainen (1917-1996).

Tukiainen made a realistic and detailed statue of the horse-riding
Mannerheim. At its unveiling in 1960 the art world considered it
out-dated. In his contemporary works Tukiainen himself had already moved
on from realism. The statue was, nevertheless, welcomed and it has
withstood the criticism of time. Throughout its history the memorial,
and Mannerheim, have been the subject of extensive debate, ranging from
his career and importance to his political affiliation. The features of
the horse, its gait and which of the Marshal's horses it actually
represents have been almost as popular themes. During his life
Mannerheim owned several horses, of which at least Talisman, Neptun,
Andermann and Käthy are known by name. His last horse Käthy (Kate) was
still alive when the first competition was announced. Although Tukiainen
based the horse in the monument on Käthy, his purpose was not to
portray her as such.

Isn't it nice when they erect statues for war criminals?

Yes, Mannerheim was the commander of the White Army during the Finnish civil war of 1918. His army committed horrible crimes, such as torturing and executing prisoners of war and innocent civilians - including women and children. On today's standards the leader of the army committing crimes like that would have been sent to Hague. Sure, both sides of the war did horrible things, but it doesn't wash away the guilt of the commanders of the winning side.

White Army executing innocent civilians in Viipuri. Ironically some of the victims were supporters of the White Army, but they were killed anyway, just because their family background was Russian.

But never mind the inconveniences of history.

Some of the details of the statue are quite interesting. Here's a list:

He holds a baton on his right hand.

He wears a military uniform.

He has a sword on his belt, but you won't see it from the front side.

On the front side of his hat, on the forehead, there is a small symbol of the sun (a lion).

He rides a horse.

The pedestal of the statue is so high, that you always see the sky behind his head.

Behind the statue there is a large pool full of water.

The same details can be found on the tarot card The Chariot.

The man holds a baton on his right hand.

He wears a military uniform.

He has a sword on his belt, but you won't see it from the front side.

On his forehead there is a symbol of the sun.

He rides a horse powered vehicle. (The war chariot)

There is a night sky behind and above his head. (On the curtains)

Behind the chariot there's a pool of water.

The Chariot is the card representing the Moon. The next card of the major arcana, Strength, represents the Sun. There is another statue representing this card in Helsinki, called The Law. It's located inside a former parliament house - exactly 1000 meters from the statue of Mannerheim.

Sun and Moon.

In the Roman system, the number 1000 is represented by the letter M.M for Mason.

The Law - represents the card Strength
(also note the masonic columns of Jachin and Boaz and the atonistic olive branches)

Masonic symbolism: Sun and Moon

Statues of the Sun and the Moon exactly 1000 meters from each other(Mannerheim statue on the left)

Another interesting detail of this picture of the map is the masonic symbol above the 1000 meter line.

A closer look shows you a masonic symbol. The pond in the Kaisaniemi park is made in the shape of the masonic keystone:

Masonic keystone on the map

Masonic symbolism: the keystone

Masonic symbolism: the keystone

So there are statues representing the Sun and the Moon - 1000 (M) meters from each other - and a keystone in between them. Now where have I seen that before?

The Royal Arch: columns of the Sun and the Moon & the keystone in between them